Simple 2D images, such as a logo, can easily be converted into 3D images in Blender 3D. The easiest way to do this is to first convert the image into a vector image using a vector graphics editor such as Adobe Illustrator, or Inkscape. This wikiHow teaches you how to convert an image into a vector image, and then convert the vector image into a 3D mesh using Blender 3D.

Open Adobe Illustrator. Adobe Illustrator has a yellow square icon that says "Ai" in the middle. Click the icon on your computer to open Adobe Illustrator.

Adobe Illustrator requires a subscription to Creative Cloud to download and use. You can sign up for a free trial at adobe.com or you can use Inkscape, which is a free alternative to Adobe Illustrator.

Create a new Adobe Illustrator file. Click New on the title page of Adobe Illustrator to create a new Illustrator project. The dimensions of the project do not matter. You can also create a new file using the following steps:

Place the image you want to convert to an SVG. The ideal image to convert to an SVG should be a simple, flat image such as letters or a logo. The image shouldn't have more than 2 or 3 colors. Complex images, such as photographs will not easily convert to an SVG image. The image can be a JPEG, PNG, GIF, or other image formats. Use the following steps to place an image into your Illustrator project:

Select a color mode. Use the drop-down menu next to "Mode" to select the color mode. If you are working with an image that has one solid color, select "Black and white". If you are working with a color image, select "Color"

In Color mode, you can use the box next to "Max Color" to select the maximum number of colors the image will create. Ideally, the image shouldn't have more than 2 or 3 colors.

Adjust the threshold. If the lines in the vector image don't match the original image exactly, you can increase the threshold. Increasing the threshold increases the number of pixels that get traced as part of the object. Click the bracket icon pointing right next to the "Threshold" box to display a slider bar. Click and drag the slider bar to the right to increase the threshold.

If the edges of the image still don't quite match the original, you can try decreasing the options for "Path Fitting", "Minimum Area", and "Corner Angles."

next to "Ignore Whites" (optional). If you are working with an image that has a white background, you can click the checkbox next to "Ignore whites". This will tell Illustrator to ignore the white parts of the image and only trace the colored objects. Be aware that this will also ignore any white parts of an image that you may want to keep.

Edit the image manually (optional). If you weren't able to get Live Trace to trace the image perfectly, you can manually edit the edges using the sub-selection tool. Click the icon that resembles a white mouse cursor in the toolbar to the left. Then you can click and drag the vector points on the lines and corners to move them. You can also click and drag the bezier curves (the lines with a dot that extend from a selected vector points) to adjust the curves in between the vector points.

Import an image you want to convert into an SVG graphic. The ideal image to convert to an SVG should be a simple, flat image such as letters or a logo. The image shouldn't have more than 2 or 3 colors. Complex images, such as photographs will not easily convert to an SVG graphic. The image can be a JPEG, PNG, GIF, or other image formats. Use the following steps to place an import an image into Inkscape:

Select a scan option. Click the radial button to select a scan option. The options are as follows:

Edge Cutoff: This option uses the shade of a pixel to determine if it should be traced as part of the shape. Use the threshold box next to this option to increase the threshold to include more shades. The image output will be in black and white.

Edge Detection: This option uses the brightness of the pixels to determine if they should be part of the shape. Use the threshold box next to this option to increase the threshold to include more brighter shades in the image. The image output will be in black and white.

Color quantization: This option uses colors to determine the shape. Use the number of colors option to specify how many colors should be included in the shape. The output will be a black and white image.

Brightness Steps: This option produces multiple shapes based on the brightness of the pixels.

Colors: This option produces multiple shapes based on color.

Greyscale: This option is similar to color, but outputs shapes in shades of grey instead of color.

Edit the shape(s) manually. If you need to smooth out any of the lines or edges in the shape, you can do so manually using the "Edit Paths by Node" tool. It's the icon that resembles a triangle clicking a vector point on a line. It's in the toolbar to the left. Use this tool to click and drag the vector points on the lines and corners. You can also click and drag the bezier curves (the lines with dots extending from the vector points) to adjust the curves in between lines.

Delete the cube. When you open a new file in Blender 3D, it starts you off with a simple scene with a camera, light, and a cube. To delete the cube, click it to select it. Selected objects are highlighted in orange. Then press the Delete key to delete it.

Scale the SVG to the size you want. To change the size of an object, click the icon that resembles a square with an arrow pointing to a larger square in the toolbar to the left. The click and drag the mouse to change the size of your object. Click again to set the size of the object.

You can also press S on your keyboard and drag the mouse to change the size of an object.

You may need to move the object back to the center when you are finished.

Extrude the faces of the mesh. Extruding faces of the object changes the mesh from a flat object to a 3D shape. Press E on your keyboard and drag the mouse to the desired height, or use the following steps to extrude the faces of the object:

Edit the material properties of the object. To edit the material properties of an object, click the icon that resembles a red sphere in the sidebar menu to the right. Use the following options to change the material properties of the object:

Base color: Click the colored box next to Base color and then use the color wheel under the "RGB" tab to select the base color of the object.

Metallic: Use the slider bar next to "Metallic" to adjust the reflective (mirror) properties of the object.

Specular: Use the slider bar next to "Specular" to adjust how intense the reflective properties of the object are.

Roughness: Use the slider bar next to "Roughness" to adjust how rough or smooth the reflective properties of the object are.

1. Import a simple 2D image in Adobe Illustrator or Inkscape.
2. Use Live Trace or Bitmap Trace to convert the image into a vector graphic.
3. Save the vector graphic in SVG format.
4. Open Blender 3D.
5. Import the SVG file into Blender 3D.
6. Select the SVG curves and convert them to a mesh.
7. Select the Mesh and switch to Edit Mode.
8. Extrude the faces of the mesh.
9. Switch back to object mode and apply material properties to the mesh.
10. Save your work.